Making sure your vehicle complies with Department of Transportation standards can be stressful, but is ultimately necessary to ensure your vehicle is safe for road use. BoomTech offers full DOT inspection in accordance with the department’s qualifications. Here is a basic overview of what you can expect.
What is a DOT Inspection?
A DOT inspection is a mandatory requirement for all commercial vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds. This is meant to ensure your vehicle is safe to drive on public roadways and is in decent operating condition.
How do DOT Inspections Work?
A DOT inspection is made up of six categories and can consist of anything from one to all six depending on your circumstances. You should always be ready for each category. The following six categories are
- North American Standard Inspection: This is the most common and comprehensive inspection. They will inspect every part of your vehicle from the brakes to the frame to the suspension to make sure it’s up to proper safety standards and review your daily logs and service hours. They will also assess your medical card and check for any drugs and alcohol.
- Walkaround/Driver Inspection: This inspection is the same as the North American Standard, but this category omits any inspection of your vehicle’s underside.
- Driver-Only Inspection: This inspection is more concerned with you as the driver than your truck. Your documentation will be closely looked at alongside any incident history. Please note that this is done by independent DOT inspectors and the police rather than shops like BoomTech.
- Special Inspections: The inspector will only be looking at a specific vehicle part, although this is up to the inspector.
- Vehicle-Only Inspection: This is the same as the North American Standard, only you as the driver aren’t present.
- Enhanced NAS Inspection: This is only a concern if you are hauling radioactive materials. If this is true, then the inspector will also check your cargo.
Passing the DOT Inspection
Once you pass the inspection, you will be given a DOT inspection sticker. Also known as a Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) decal, this signals that you and your vehicle have passed inspection. They’re generally good for a three-month period and are color-coded based on when the inspection occurred: green for January-March, yellow for April-June, orange for July-September, and white for October-December. Once they expire, you will need another DOT inspection.
